SINGAPORE: On Monday (Nov 10), Benjamin Song Yong Pang, who had cheated a number of people into giving him at least S$1,000 each, was charged in court, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a media statement.
Thirty-seven-year-old Mr Song is said to have told the victims that the money he collected from them was meant for the medical bills of his mother. At the time of his offences, which occurred between 2021 and 2024, he was a captain of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
He reportedly cheated 16 individuals into giving him a total of S$145,250 between May 23, 2021, and March 26, 2024. Instead of using the money for the purposes he had told them about, he used it instead to service his debts and expenses.
According to a report in CNA, the amount of money that people gave Mr Song was between S$1,000 and over S$27,000. The total sum he was given for investments was S$96,750, and he received S$26,700 for the medical bills of his mother. Other individuals gave him S$21,800 for both alleged purposes.
According to the statement from CPIB, Mr Song “deceived these individuals into believing that the monies were used either for investments or to pay for his mother’s medical bills.”
He is now facing 18 charges for offences punishable under Section 420 of the Penal Code. Thirteen of these are amalgamated charges. Under Section 420, a person who is found guilty could be slapped with a fine or be sentenced to jail for a maximum of 10 years. An individual convicted of an amalgamated charge in a case such as Mr Song’s could face twice the amount of punishment liable for that offence.
Bail has been set for Mr Song at S$100,000, and he will return to court on Dec 8.
“The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) looks into all corruption-related complaints and reports, including anonymous ones, and can be reached via the following channels:
CPIB also said that reports should include the pertinent details of alleged acts of corruption, such as where, when, and how the alleged corrupt act happened, who was involved and what their roles were, and what the bribe given and the favour shown. /TISG
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